Wilderness.org - doubthttp://wilderness.org/taxonomy/term/2241
enClimate change: How do we know what to believe?http://wilderness.org/blog/climate-change-how-do-we-know-what-believe
<div class="field-group-format group_meta field-group-div group-meta speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Mar 18, 2010</div></div></div></div><div class="field-group-format group_image field-group-div group-image speed-fast effect-none"><div class="field field-name-field-content-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://wilderness.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_full/public/legacy/profiler/winter-snowstorm-dc-woodleywonderworks-flickr.jpg?itok=j3tNuOed" alt="" title="One of the winter snowstorm in the Washington, DC area this winter. Photo by woodleywonderworks, Flickr." /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-media-description field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>One of the winter snowstorm in the Washington, DC area this winter. Photo by woodleywonderworks, Flickr.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-credit field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>In F. Scott Fitzgerald&rsquo;s perennial novel, &ldquo;The Great Gatsby,&rdquo; socialite Tom Buchannan muses about fickle weather in between sips of gin on hot summer afternoon:</p>
<p class="rteindent1"><em>&ldquo;I read somewhere that the sun is getting hotter every year&hellip;It seems that pretty soon the earth is going to fall into the sun &mdash; or wait a minute &mdash; it&rsquo;s just the opposite. The sun&rsquo;s getting colder every year.&rdquo; </em></p>
<p>There's been over 85 years of scientific advancement since &ldquo;Gatsby&rdquo; was published, and it seems most people are still just as confused about the science behind climate change.</p>
<p>Right wing-bloggers and <a href="http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&amp;ContentRecord_id=b2dcfbc6-802a-23ad-43b6-c3a89db27680" target="_blank">congressmen</a> are citing the fact that our nation&rsquo;s capital still has two feet snow drifts on the side of the road from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/opinion/17friedman.html?scp=4&amp;sq=global%20marming%20&amp;st=cse">last month&rsquo;s historic blizzard</a> as evidence that global warming is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021803981.html">an elaborate hoax</a>. However, the bizarre weather conditions suggest just the opposite, as rising global temperatures would cause an increase in moisture in the air that would lead to more precipitation.</p>
<p>While some politicians and the mainstream media give the impression that scientists are evenly split about whether or not global warming exists, the actual divide is nowhere near 50/50.</p>
<p>Out of 3,146 accredited scientists, 90 percent believe that global temperatures have risen compared to pre-1800s levels, and 82 percent believe humans have had something to do with it, according to a <a href="http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&amp;to=Release&amp;id=2389&amp;fromhome=1" target="_blank">University of Illinois poll</a> conducted in January of last year. Of the climatologists surveyed, 97 percent believe that humans have played a significant role in increasing the earth&rsquo;s temperature.</p>
<p>For many climate change doubters, the presence of any slight lack of consensus is enough to call bologna. However, anyone who has taken a high school science class can tell you that there is no such thing as evidence that 100 percent certain. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/global_warming_contrarians/attacks-on-the-ipcc.html">The Union of Concerned Scientists</a> has recently released materials stating that the primary lack of consensus about climate change among scientists does not come from whether or not human-induced global warming exists, but rather if they can draw a direct line between climate change and specific weather events such as blizzards and droughts.</p>
<p>While global warming <a href="recent-polls-show-broad-enduring-support-climate-action">skeptics are a minority</a>, they are a vocal minority. As in healthcare, legislation pertaining to climate change has reached a partisan standstill in Washington. As the media continue to skew the consensus within the scientific community, how do we know what to believe?</p>
<p>In the spirit of democracy, I&rsquo;d go with the majority. And 97 percent of climate scientists is a hard majority to argue with.</p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: smaller;">photo:</span></strong><span style="font-size: smaller;"> One of the winter snowstorm in the Washington, DC area this winter. Photo by woodleywonderworks, Flickr.</span></p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:44:27 +0000103018 at http://wilderness.orghttp://wilderness.org/blog/climate-change-how-do-we-know-what-believe#comments